Chris Weidman is set for a rematch with Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 where he will look to take back his middleweight championship that he lost via TKO at UFC 194. Before losing to Rockhold, Weidman had successfully defended his title three different times and proved how good of a fighter he is.
Weidman burst onto the UFC scene in 2013 when he took on Anderson Silva at UFC 162 and knocked out the former champ. At that time Silva was considered unbeatable, as he had won 17 fights in a row and regularly dominated his opponents. Weidman defended that championship belt against Silva at UFC 168 later that year, and he says after the first knockout "The Spider" hasn't been the same.
Since losing his title to Weidman, Silva has dealt with a lot. Whether it was the broken leg he suffered in the rematch, which kept him out of action for a year, or the failed drug test, which also kept him out a year, Silva hasn't won a fight since being knocked out. His fight against Nick Diaz at UFC 183 was overturned due to the failed drug test, and in his comeback against Michael Bisping in February he lost via unanimous decision.
Weidman feels that Silva thought he was invincible, and once he realized that he could be knocked out his demeanor in the octagon changed. "The All-American" even went as far as to say that in their second fight he saw "the fear and the uncertainty in him." Weidman also added that in the fights since their rematch Silva hasn't shown the same aggressiveness that he used to have, and he believes it's because of how he knocked him out the first time they met.
While Weidman was saying these things it is still pretty clear that he has a lot of respect for a guy that many consider the greatest fighter of all time. Weidman believes Silva actually won the fight against Bisping despite the fact that the judges scored it unanimously and respects the 40-year-old for still going out there and looking good. The respect between Weidman and Silva is mutual, as Silva was one of the first people to come out and say that Weidman deserved an immediate rematch with Rockhold after he lost the title last December.
We know what's next for Weidman, as he will get his rematch with Rockhold on June 4 in Los Angeles, but what's next for Silva isn't quite as clear. Silva has said he has no intentions of retiring despite the fact that he is getting up there in age and he seems to be on the decline. "The Spider" is a very proud man and an MMA legend, so he likely does not want to go out on a three-fight losing streak even if he isn't the same fighter as he once was.
